Abstract:

Chris Cocks’ (2008) Out of action is the sequel to his (1988) Fireforce – one man’s
war in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. In Fireforce the writer narrates his life in the
Rhodesian Light Infantry. In Out of action the twenty-one year old Cocks
explains his double role as civilian and police reservist when he writes: “A few
months before I had been Lance-Corporal Cocks. Now I was Police Reservist Cocks,
attempting to begin a civilian career in agriculture” (Cocks, 2008, p. 24). In reality,
however, there is no distinction between the two roles as a lance-corporal and
police reservist because the Rhodesian police was militarised. In the army Cocks
was a stick leader while in the police he is leader of a Police Anti-Terrorist Unit
(PATU). The PATU was a paramilitary specialist unit in the British South African
Police (BSAP) while a stick was a four to six-man unit or battle group in the
Rhodesian Army. For both units their call was to respond to guerrilla sightings
and engage them in combat.